There comes a point when you get so caught up in the moment that you forget what you used to do. Once the euphoria of travelling and explorations dies down, there’s a part of me that felt as though it was missing. I couldn’t remember what normalcy felt like. I couldn’t remember what it was like to go to the dining hall with my friends or sit in the library until it closes on a random Tuesday night. I couldn’t remember having picnics at Washington Park or going to club basketball practice.
Despite all of the normalcy I’ve lost, there are a few things that have stayed consistent. I cherish these since there’s not much else that has stayed exactly the same since leaving America. One of these activities, and my favorite, has been reading. I have failed to change my reading habits, and I think that this has allowed for my sanity to stay more intact. Since being in Rennes, I have started and completed four books, all of which have been properly logged in StoryGraph.
I have also taken to talking to my family equally as much as I did during the school year at DU. This particular habit extends to my friends as well, especially those who I am across the ocean from. Even the mere thought of being able to talk to my friends and family is enough. There doesn’t have to be any particular conversation happening, just the comfort of working silently over FaceTime is enough for me to feel comfort and normal among the chaos of a new chapter of my life.
The ability to transfer my hobbies and habits from America to France is something that is crucial to my well-being, and sometimes it can seem impossible, but I think my phone calls and obsessive reading habits are what will keep me motivated to not give up on the year-long adventure.
DU Abroad 